LG 65SK8000PUA Review: A TV with Great AI Technology

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By Omoyeni Araokanmi

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My take on LG 65SK8000PUA

Summary

The LG 65SK8000PUA makes a great addition to the aesthetics of the home with its impeccable design. Picture quality and great AI features are also sure things to love about this television. Its poor local dimming will, however, make movie night unsatisfactory.

Overall
4.3

Pros

  • Appealing Design
  • Cable Management
  • ThinQ and Other Smart Features
  • NanoCell Technology
  • Motion-Sensor Remote

Cons

  • Poor Local Dimming Feature
 

LG 65SK8000PUA: At First Glance

In recent times, we cannot ignore the fact that LG has been doing a lot of good with its television lineups. Whether it’s the expensive super OLEDs or the more budget-friendly variants, you can expect this company to deliver.

With the bulk of televisions out there, our focus in this review is the LG 65SK8000PUA. This television is among the SK series which is the lowest model in LG’s top tier LCD TVs.

This means that the LG 65SK8000PUA is an entry-level television. By entry-level, it means this product is among LG’s basic smart televisions.

Even with that knowledge, we still need to find out whether or not this television is truly entry-level. Read on if you’re also curious to find out!

LG 65SK8000PUA: Design, Dimensions, and Weight

To kickstart this review properly, let’s talk about the design of this television. The design of this bad boy is great, especially when viewing from the front.

For a supposed entry-level television, the LG 65SK8000PUA is premium in its looks. This smooth, sleek, metal television has very minimal bezels, so you’ll be looking at the whole screen most of the time.

By bezels, I am referring to those edges holding the screen together. For the LG 65SK8000PUA, the slim metal bezels complement the overall slim look of this television.

Just by looking at it from the sides, you can see how slim and less bulky this television is as compared to the Philips 65PFL5504/F7 I reviewed recently.

Speaking of which, the LG 65SK8000PUA weighs 24494 g which is heavier than the 18098.3 g weight of the Philips 65PFL5504/F7. Despite the difference in weight, this LG TV looks slimmer than the Philips TV.

To prove that point, I will highlight the difference in dimensions. The LG 65SK8000PUA has a dimension of 1455.4 x 63.5 x 843.2 mm.

The Philips 65PFL5504/F7, on the other hand, has a dimension of 1457.9 x 101.6 x 840.7 mm. Now, did you notice the difference there?

The dimension shows that this LG TV is a slimmer option.

My comparison does not end there, though. Another television worth comparing with this LG product is the Sony XBR – 65X900F.

When it comes to weight, this Sony television weighs more, at 24500 g. As for dimensions, the Sony XBR – 65X900F is slimmer than both televisions, with its dimension of 1447 x 69 x 829 mm.

On a different note, a good-looking television would not be so enjoyable if it could not be accessed, right? By accessibility, I’m referring to the cable inputs used to easily connect another device to the LG 65SK8000PUA.

Most television manufacturers are still fond of placing most cable inputs at the back of a television, and the LG 65SK8000PUA is also among them. While its inputs are located at the back of the TV, a very good amount is easily accessible from the sides.

Even though this is a common practice, it is actually more advantageous having cable inputs on the sides than at the back of a television. This is particularly true in the case when the TV is wall-mounted, and you need to easily plug in some cables.

Speaking of cables, the LG 65SK8000PUA has a hook behind the stand for cable management. This cable management means that your TV setup area will look less messy with cables lying around.

As for setup, if you choose not to wall mount this television, there’s an ark-like stand that can support the TV on a fairly large solid table. With this stand, the LG 65SK8000PUA will surely wobble if you touch it; nonetheless, it’s still very stable.

Lest I forget, this television also has a control button located underneath the LG logo on the lower bezel. This control button is used for basic functions like switching on the TV or changing the input.

To wrap up this design section, we can say that this LG TV has a great look that can complement a living room. It is also lightweight and has cable management to stay organized.

On that note, the design features of the LG 65SK8000PUA are best rated a nine out of ten in this review section.

LG 65SK8000PUA: Display Features

Undoubtedly, the display features of televisions are something you cannot toy with. On that note, you really need to understand what the LG 65SK8000PUA’s display has to offer.

Starting off, this 65-inch television has a 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) resolution. This 4K resolution is pretty much what you’ll be seeing on modern televisions.

Despite being an expensive feature of televisions, this 4K UHD resolution provides the best in super clear and sharp displays. That’s one of the reasons good modern televisions do not come cheap.

In essence, you can expect that the LG 65SK8000PUA presents contents in a very clear, life-like, and detailed form. Speaking of which, the 4K resolution isn’t just what makes this display great – the Active HDR is another feature.

The active High Dynamic Range (HDR) does an even greater job of displaying content with high color depth and contrast. This is actually the main reason why you feel a solid cinematic experience when watching some of those latest movies.

However, it’s important to note that even though the HDR feature is included in a television – HDR may not become active on every movie. The implication is that if the movie you’re watching doesn’t support the HDR feature, you won’t get such a strong cinematic experience after all.

Nonetheless, it’s a great feature to have. Still on the aspect of the display, the LG 65SK8000PUA has an IPS LCD display type.

If you didn’t know, the in-plane switching (IPS) technology is great for color reproduction and color accuracy. Another great thing about the IPS is the great viewing angles it provides on a television.

By viewing angles, I mean you can be sure to get good views of the television even when you’re not sitting directly in front of it. Fortunately, friends and family can enjoy viewing the display of the LG 65SK8000PUA with you regardless of what part of the room they sit in.

There’s a clause; however, this viewing angle is actually at its best in a room with average lighting. This means that the LG 65SK8000PUA in a dark or low-lit room will make these viewing angles unimpressive.

Ideally, a TV with an IPS display panel should have great viewing angles regardless of whatever the lighting condition may be. However, the viewing angles of the LG 65SK8000PUA are not great in good lighting, and that’s because of the unimpressive local-dimming feature.

This local-dimming feature is meant to improve black scenes, which will, in turn, improve late-night viewing. Unfortunately, the local-dimming feature on this LG TV does not perform as it should.

Undoubtedly, it means you’ll have to watch movies in a fairly lit room for better viewing if you do end up buying the LG 65SK8000PUA.

Speaking of lit rooms, the amount of screen brightness on televisions is another display feature to note. For the LG 65SK8000PUA, it has a maximum screen brightness of about 600 nits.

Interestingly, 600 nits is just the right amount, so you will like what you see with this TV. This is especially important because the higher the brightness, the better the HDR effect you’ll get.

Away from screen brightness, have you heard about a television feature called response time and input lag? Well, whether or not you have, the LG 65SK8000PUA has an input lag of 14.1 milliseconds and a response time of 13 milliseconds.

In case all that looks fuzzy, I’ll explain further.

Input lag refers to the amount of signal delay in images between the television and a source device like a game console. To simplify, this input lag simply tells you how quickly or slowly the television can respond when using an external component like a joystick or mouse.

As for response time, it describes the time it takes a display to change the color of a given pixel. This is important as millions of pixels make up a whole picture.

In plain terms, response time which is sometimes referred to as pixel response, is a feature that makes moving images clear and sharp. A good response time means that moving images on the display would not look blurry or hazy.

Back to the figures, the 14.1 and 13 milliseconds are great numbers that mean fast performance when using this television. In the case of the LG 65SK8000PUA, game lovers will surely be pleased when it’s time to use their favorite gaming console with this television.

Still on display features, LG included an additional feature called the NanoCell technology. According to LG, this feature serves as a filtering layer in the display that aims to improve the color depth and enhance even tones of a display.

Notably, at the time of publishing this review, this NanoCell technology is only found in LG televisions.

Basically, the LG 65SK8000PUA appears to be impressive so far, even with its display features. Asides from the low-performing local dimming of this television, you are sure to get an enjoyable display.

With that in mind, nine is the best rating for the display features of this LG 65SK8000PUA review.

LG 65SK8000PUA: Sound Features

Whether it’s a game, music, or movie, we all want that blazing sound quality from the television. In the case of the LG 65SK8000PUA, its sound quality very much matches its price point.

To be exact, this television has two 10 watts Dolby speakers, amounting to a total output of 20 watts. Technicalities asides, the sound from these speakers can fill a room.

However, if you’ll like better sound quality with solid bass and more loudness, your best bet is to get external speakers. My reason for saying that is because of the LFE levels found in the dual speakers of the LG 65SK8000PUA.

Simply put, low-frequency extension (LFE) is an important aspect of sound that is measured in Hertz (Hz). This hertz represents the value of audible sound vibrations a speaker produces, which simply means the speaker’s loudness levels.

In the case of the LG 65SK8000PUA, this television has a low-frequency response of 85Hz, which is average.

This means that the bass sound of the LG 65SK8000PUA is not super great; however, it produces a decent amount of punch. Thankfully, this 85Hz LFE also means dialog (the conversation between two actors) is super clear and fine on this television.

Another sound feature of this TV to take note of is its Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) of 1.040. Ideally, a good THD should be 1.0 or less, which makes the LG 65SK8000PUA slightly above average.

A THD of 1.040 means that the sound accuracy of these speakers will not be so compromised.

Still on sound quality, the inclusion of the Dolby Atmos technology is another sound feature that makes TV audio sound impressive. Furthermore, this sound technology makes movies more enjoyable and gives a cinematic experience.

Having highlighted all the sound features of this smart television, we can best define its sound as average. Considering that, I will be rating the sound features of the LG 65SK8000PUA an eight in this review section.

LG 65SK8000PUA: Ports and Connectivity Features

The ports and connectivity features are well among the things to consider when purchasing a smart television. On that note, let’s talk about the essential and good number of ports found on the LG 65SK8000PUA.

Like most television manufacturers out there, LG did not position all the ports on one side of the TV. While some ports are on the side, a larger number of them are located at the back of this television.

I still wait for the time when televisions will have more sideways connections. This will reduce connection limitations for those who prefer wall-mounting a TV.

Irrespective of that, let’s talk about the ports you’ll find on the LG 65SK8000PUA. Starting with the side, there are two HDMI ports and a USB port.

Notably, one of these HDMI ports has Audio Return Channel (ARC) support. For those who do not know – the audio return channel HDMI is used for connecting to a soundbar.

Back to the ports, the ports located at the back of this television include a mini headphone jack, an antenna connector, an ethernet port – two HDMI ports, and a memory card slot. As regards wireless connectivity, there’s built-in WiFi (802.11ac) and Bluetooth 4.2 in the LG 65SK8000PUA.

Moving on, we cannot leave out the remote control when it comes to connectivity. Fortunately, this LG 65SK8000PUA has a motion-sensor remote that is also known as a “magic remote.”

This remote is the same as what you’ll find in all of LG’s high-end TV models. A firm plastic body is what makes up this remote, as well as the firm rubber keys that offer quick access to the television’s features.

Remember, I referred to it as a motion sensor; well, that’s because this remote has a pointer feature as well as a scroll wheel at the center. This means the remote acts similarly to a computer mouse.

Apparently, this remote makes it possible to easily navigate through the menus of this TV without stressing those thumbs of yours.

From the top of the remote, you’ll see the power button of the television, followed by a full number pad. The volume and navigation buttons are also included on this remote.

To provide even easier navigation, the LG 65SK8000PUA remote has dedicated Netflix and Amazon Prime buttons. This means that you can connect to these two platforms with just a press of a button.

Interestingly, the remote also has a built-in microphone that offers voice command functionality. These voice commands are then processed through LG’s ThinQ AI technology which I will explain further in the next section of this review.

All in all, the ports and connectivity features of the LG 65SK8000PUA are very ideal and modern for all the connectivity you’ll need. On that note, these features of the LG 65SK8000PUA are well worth an eight in this section of the review.

LG 65SK8000PUA: Smart Features

What’s the use of a modern smart television without smart features, right? The LG 65SK8000PUA has just the right smart features that make it stand out from televisions in the 90s!

For starters, like other LG smart TVs, the LG 65SK8000PUA runs on an operating system called WebOS. Thanks to this operating system and the built-in Wi-Fi, you can easily gain access to video services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, BBC I-player, and YouTube.

In fact, these video app platforms I just mentioned are the few apps you’ll find pre-installed on the LG 65SK8000PUA.

Just in case you need more than these apps, you can easily download more apps from the LG app store. However, do not expect that the LG app store would have as many versatile apps as what you’ll find on app stores like the Google Play store.

Back to the good news of this television, LG made sure to include the ThinQ AI feature. For clarity, the ThinQ AI is LG’s artificial intelligence feature that helps you communicate with the television.

With the use of Google Assistant and Alexa, the ThinQ AI allows you to use voice commands with the TV. You can make these voice commands when you speak into the built-in microphone of the remote.

The voice commands range from checking the weather or switching to a different channel. Also, there are more advanced commands, like telling the TV to turn off automatically at a particular time.

Interestingly, you can even web search a movie character while watching a movie without typing in his or her name; cool, right? So while you’re crushing on an actor you’re seeing for the first time, the TV will help you find his or her identity.

By the way, you won’t be able to use these features if you do not sign up and activate the Google Assistant or Alexa features on the TV. You can click here for the steps to sign up.

From the look of things, the LG 65SK8000PUA has all the features that make it a smart TV. On that note, I will rate the smart features of the LG 65SK8000PUA a nine in this review section.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the LG 65SK8000PUA stand made of?

The TV stand used for this television is made of metal.

2. Does the LG 65SK8000PUA have a 240Hz refresh rate?

No. The LG 65SK8000PUA has a 120Hz refresh rate. This refresh rate refers to how fast the television is able to refresh a moving image.

3. Is LG a Chinese company?

No. LG electronics is a South-Korean company.

4. Does the LG 65SK8000PUA come with a Magic Remote?

Yes. On purchase, you get the magic remote in the box that allows you to set up the smart TV features and for easy navigation.

5. Can the LG 65SK8000PUA be wired to the internet?

Yes. This television has both wired and wireless connections to the internet.

Conclusion

For an entry-level television, the LG 65SK8000PUA is a decent television that does not come with many compromises. Even though the price seems all the way up, its features are just right for the price, especially when you compare it with its counterparts.

One very impressive feature of the LG 65SK8000PUA is its design which gives off a more expensive look than expected. Now to the big question – should you buy this 2018 LG smart television?

The answer to that is Yes! The LG 65SK8000PUA is a very modern television with all the features that would not be going out of trend anytime soon.

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About the Author

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Omoyeni Araokanmi

Omoyeni Araokanmi is a Content Writer at Itechguides.com. She has a B.Sc. in Sociology. Omoyeni loves everything tech. If she's not writing tech reviews, she's either reading, watching movies, or enjoying the outdoors. She writes product reviews and buying guides for itechguides.com

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